WOMEN IN ACTION

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WOMEN IN ACTION Journalist: Myriam Sainson

Date: March 15, 2012 Region: Le Granit

International Women's Day, celebrated annually on March 8, held a great sense of significance for the Women's Center of the MRC du Granit, by means of an extraordinary sense of unity, among the organizing committee composed of members of the C.A. from other organizations such as the AFEAS and the Maison de la Famille, Genevieve - Coordinator of the Center, and volunteers, working to present this dinner-theatre, at la Polyvalente Frontenac de la Ville de Lac-Mégantic. This community event attracted nearly 200 women, for an evening which unfolded in an atmosphere of solidarity and good will.

The two scenarios of the performance, as noted on the poster; "Do women have reason to feel indignant?" and "Feminism - more relevant than ever", left an undeniable mark on participants, of a daily battle for the defense and promotion of women's rights, an effort that can be summarized in two fundamental actions: Own them and act upon them. The keen work of the committee, for the March 8 event, was revealing of a collective of active women who were indeed deserving of a round of congratulations for a job well-done. The highlight of this evening was, of course, the presentation: "Les Contes de la Richesse ", a production by the Theatre Parminou de Victoriaville, in the presence of director Michel Cormier and of the two principal actors, Hélène Desperrier and Réjean Bédard, who for us, for a period of 75 minutes, became two migrant workers, Lulu and Baloune, in search of a better, more just life...

The refreshments, prepared by volunteers at the Center over the last two days, were presented, according to a protocol of labels: shortbread cookies which the moderator represented as follows: "This is an extremely important 'play on words' for future generations. These stand as a medal for the pride to have forced the Government to take a step back, in 2010, with the announcement of a moderating health policy" or "Health Tax" - represented by the lemon and poppy pieces of cake: "We have here a piece of the 'Health Tax', in lemon and poppy. As the ingredient of lemon alone leaves an acid taste in the mouth, we will use this as an incentive for a discussion -- on the politicians of this world"...

My short encounter with Michel Cormier, before the presentation, was a revelation of the authentic mission of the Parminou Theatre which is based at the Centre de Création théâtrale de Victoriaville. This creative collaborative is composed of a team of 18 permanent members, artists and others; a theatre based on intervention and education, with 400 to 450 presentations annually, corresponding to about fifty contracts per year. "Les contes de la Richess", by author Maureen Martineau, which has been performed for 5 years, has been completely altered from the original script, "le Paradoxe de l'Érika", by the Nantes troop - la Tribouille. This well-known, satirical comedy targets "the savageness of capitalism '' in our contemporary society, particularly that of the 21st century. It is based on the concept of the 2001 report by Patrick Viveret, the public auditor (in France) at the Court of Auditors, established at the request of the Secretary of State for the Solidarity of the Economy, in France, which affirms: "We pass from a universe where what has real value, does not have price, to return to another where what does not have a price, really has no value".

Lulu and Baloune, our two characters, live in an eclectic décor of scrap and other disparate elements, according to their first speeches which proposed that one works only 10% of our life and that, according to them, one could allocate the seats in the auditorium according to one's income or profession – a crazy start for a performance divided into scenarios, such as "One does not have a choice" or "How much am I worth? ».

A forum-type discussion followed among the two artists and the women present. An evaluation sheet was also available, in preparation for a follow-up to be created by the Women's Center of the MRC du Granit.

Information: (819) 583-4575